Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect: First Iteration (Episode 1)
by amilhorn
Summary: Set in 2010, thirteen years after The Lost World, InGen is struggling to survive and moves to start to reopen Jurassic Park. To do so, they will have to prove the idea is safe. To do so, they send an elite team led by none other than Sarah Harding to Site B for a five year study of the animals in their habitat. But the dinosaurs aren't the only danger on Isla Sorna...


Jurassic Park  
**Chaos Effect**

"_**First Iteration**_**."**

** 13 Years Prior…1997…**

** InGen Docks, San Diego California**

The USS Venture, an InGen transport ship lay devastated. The docks around it shattered and twisted as though a giant had ripped up the piers and thrown them aside, meaningless match sticks in a game of human lives. The night had been warm, humid even, cloudless. In the distance, the city lights of San Diego sparkled, basking in the human condition of indifference. The thirty or so news reporters and InGen board members lay in pools of blood, either injured or dead. Paramedics were scrambling to treat those who could be saved. Cameras and laptops lay sparking, their lenses and screens shattered just their human owners who had been thrown into the air when the USS Venture slammed into the docks, crashing up through the piers and pillars, its engines not caring, its hull unfeeling.

Peter Ludlow, the InGen CEO, had been giving a press conference, eager to show the world the truth that had been hidden from them, the wonders and miracles that had been worked by the InGen scientists years ago to make a dream that was impossible a reality. Ludlow had taken that doomed dream and had, in his mind, made a better alternative….and a better profit. The huge carrier ship had crashed into the docks, carving its way up the wooden planks, tossing aside limousines, crates, people and anything else that wasn't fast enough to understand the basic laws of physics. Everyone had been caught off guard.

After the Venture ground to a halt, dead in the water, InGen dock workers, hell, even Ludlow himself, boarded the ship to find out why in God's name the captain had done something so far beyond stupid. They never got their answer. The crew and the captain were still on the ship…just in pieces. A hand here. An arm there. A head with lifeless staring eyes in a corner. Blood was everywhere…smears and pools, thick black puddles congealing in the moon light. The smell was horrendous, the stench of rot and decay. Flies buzzed, droning mechanically. Ludlow had scrambled about, looking for an explanation, for anyone to scream at in his expensive suit and tie, his rimless glasses winking even as he nearly vomited after stepping on an ear.

Finally, his beady eyes had settled upon something that was out of place.

The cargo hold doors.

Four massive doors that lay nearly flush with the main deck forming a rough pyramid were seemingly half open and half closed, stuck, cycling on and off, the sound grating on the ears. The was nothing behind the doors but blackness.

Ludlow barked out an order to check the cargo hold. On the surface, he was looking for survivors but she knew better.

She knew better. So did he. Realization set in instantly and they tried to warn Ludlow to not open the doors but Ludlow, in retrospect, she supposed, already knew what was in that cargo hold. His desire to save face unleashed hell.

His voice echoed in her memory.

_"Check the cargo hold! There may be crew down there!"_

Beside her, Ian Malcolm had turned pale as his sharp lined features lost all color and he tried to stop the InGen guard who reached for the cargo hold door switch, locked in the hands of a dead man.

He was too late.

They were all too late.

_"Everybody off the boat!"_

All it took was a click of a button.

A shape moved deep in the cargo hold, faster than anything that large should have been able to move. A deep guttural snarl and the cargo doors were thrown open wide, banging hard against the deck as a titan put one foot up on the edge of the hold, then another and stepped into our world. As it moved, it unleashed a scream, a low dragging sound that reached a high crescendo, a scream from another world and another time, long lost, its five foot long head snapping jaws with foot long teeth capable of snapping bone. Its body, nearly forty feet long from tip to tail glistened dark greenish black in the floodlights, the scaly pebbled skin wet with condensation. The head, sixteen feet off of the ground came down, shaking, as if trying to clear its ears. Walking on two powerful legs, the tyrannosaurus rex charged onto the deck, its eyes blazing with rage and hate, jaws snapping, nostrils flaring.

With another ear splitting roar, it leaped at the human insects before it, its eight ton weight shaking the ship in the water. She had ran. Ian had ran. Everyone had ran. The huge animal chased its prey down the ramp onto the docks, lunging at the unlucky InGen guards closest to its jaws. It missed by an inch, throwing the men into the water instead. Snarling, the rex turned, its tail whipping, a low growl grumbling in its massive throat, footsteps thumping, heading towards the city, smashing through the customs gate, its roar echoing off of the docks.

She remembered going up to the bridge, her heart racing in her chest, adrenaline flowing as Ian leaned in close to a stunned Peter Ludlow who stood quaking on the edge of the tower, breathless in sheer terror of what had just happened and the terror that was to come still as the animal moved into down-town San Diego. Ian didn't waste words. He whispered a sharp hateful comment to Ludlow before he whirled on his heels, following her down the gang plank to find a way to contain the animal before any more human lives were lost.

_"Now your John Hammond."_

**2010**

**John Hammond's Estate**

The screen was bright in the darkened room, the only other lights coming from soft accent lamps. The hum of the television monitor was surprisingly loud. Other than the video on the screen, no one spoke. On the screen itself, the news was on, with a clip from CNN's Bernard Shaw in his dark suit and tie with his chocolate skin warm beneath the studio lights, his glasses flashing playing.

She remembered. She was there.

"Today we are speaking with John Hammond, the former head of InGen bio-engineering, the man who has come forward to spear head this movement, not only to return the animal to the island but to keep the island itself intact."

The camera switched to a video of John Hammond, dressed for the first time in many years in a clean pressed suit instead of his hospital gown, sitting behind his desk in his study, the very room they were in right now, the book cases behind him giving him the air of an old explorer from the days of Arthur Conan Doyle. He looked energetic in the shots, almost grandfatherly in his eyes, his arctic white hair and neat beard the color of snow framed his gentle face.

When he spoke it was with a soft English accent with maybe just a shade of Scottish brogue.

"…It is absolutely imperative that we work with the Costa Rican Department of Biological Preserves to establish a set of rules for the preservation and isolation of that island. These creatures require our absence to survive, not our help." He paused for a moment and looked straight into the camera and for a moment, she felt that he was looking at her. His words echoed Ian so much that it almost hurt. "…And if we could only step aside and trust in nature, life will find a way."

The feed switched to a present day newscaster, a Connie Deacon of CNN. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a severe bun and her blue eyes sparkled. Her face however was drawn into an expression of sorrow, though one had to wonder how much of it was a put on for the news cast.

" That was nearly thirteen years ago today that Dr. John Hammond addressed the world after the shocking revelation that his company InGen had successfully cloned extinct animals, dinosaurs. Today, we mark the passing of one of the world's great venture capitalist and some say, near the end of his life and career, a great naturalist as well. John Hammond leaves behind two grandchildren, Alexis Murphy-Reynolds and Timothy Murphy. Alexis is now the CEO and founder of LexxCrop, an organic based company founded to create sustainable clean food while her brother has went on to found Murphy Electronics Research. John Hammond was ninety-three. In other news, current InGen CEO Donald Greer is set to make an announcement later today as to what InGen and the US government have decided to do with the remaining island an its established population of animals two-hundred and seven miles off of the coast of Costa Rica…"

The screen snapped off, momentarily throwing the room into near total darkness and as the lights came up, Sarah Harding blinked, her vision adjusting quickly.

She sat on the brown leather couch, her dark red hair pulled back into a relaxed pony tail. Her manner of dress would have never have suggested she was a world renowned paleontologist, an author or even a former college lecturer. She wore a loose fitting green khaki jacket with long sleeves, the sleeves themselves rolled up past her elbows. Her shirt, a deep red was sleeveless and the tail was untucked above her well worn belt and dark brown field pants. Well scuffed brown work boots stuck out below them. Everything she had one was covered in a fine layer of dust. A well used canvas military messenger bag, dark green, lay next to her on the couch.

Donald Greer, the current InGen CEO stepped out from behind Hammond's desk where he had been leaning against the book case, the remote control in his hands. Greer wasn't a large or imposing man. He had pale blonde straight hair neatly cut and expertly styled, smooth like ice. At five foot eight and a hundred and thirty pounds, he was compact, lithe and sleek, rather like a mongoose. His blue eyes were always reading people, taking them in, analyzing them. His suit, jet black, was perfectly pressed, his gold cufflinks winking in the afternoon sun. He had small sharp square teeth, white as snow. Sarah had the distinct impression the man was probably every bit the genius he appeared to be …and every bit as ruthless.

She didn't like him from the moment she laid eyes on him. He gave her the creeps.

"So. There you have it. The once great and noble John Hammond has passed away. It's a pity and my heart is breaking." Greer said, stepping in front of Harding and stopping, holding the remote in his hands crossed in front of him, his back ram rod straight, his posture that of a king. His voice was soft, perfectly enunciated and his words carefully chosen for maximum effect.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Sarah replied, genuinely sorry. Hammond had started out as a capitalist but had ended up one of the greatest most influential voices for paleontology and animal rights in decades. She stood up and looked Greer in the eye.

"What do you want Mr. Greer?"

Inclining his head ever so slightly he continued.

"With the passing of Mr.—"

"Doctor." She corrected him.

"Doctor," Greer substituted, his eyes flaring so briefly that she almost missed the look of anger on his face. It vanished before she could fully perceive it.

"With the passing of Dr. Hammond, the board of InGen has been effectively dissolved. The share holders have all but withdrawn their support and InGen stands on the brink of financial ruin. Quite a few people's fortunes are at stake and all of the work that has been up to this point hinges on whether or not we can recover."

Sarah sighed.

" Look, Mr. Greer. I don't want to be rude. But I was at a dig. A very important dig. I really am sorry that your company has killed more people that any company in recent memory. I'm sorry that your pocket book is going to take a hit but I have better things to be doing—"

Greer stepped forward half a step, coming within inches of her face. His aftershave washed over her. It was musky and sharp. His breath was hot but smelled of mint and fresh berries. His voice was low and pointed, his words flying at the speed of sound but every one hit their target.

"I understand Dr. Harding if you want to go back to your dig site in Montana. I understand if you want to spend the rest of your insipid career digging in the dirt, poking around in bones while the opportunity of a life time to study the very animals you profess to love so much passed you by while the animals are scheduled to die be my guest. I will simply call in the US military and have them napalm Site B, just like they did Nublar. I can rebuild but you can't. Your career has been on a dead end since the shock of the San Diego incident. Sure, you've wrote a few books, but what have you accomplished? Nothing."

Harding felt her blood boil. Her face flushed hot and she stifled the urge to break his nose. Drawing up to her full height, she merely shook her head.

"You'll never be a John Hammond. Go to hell."

Turning, she made for the door, dust falling from her clothes to the polished hard wood floor, her eyes drawn for a moment to the empty hospital bed on the far side of the room, the infusion pumps and monitors silent, the bed perfectly made, surgically neat. It was like a gaping wound in the room.

She reached for the door and as her fingers closed upon the solid brass handle, a quick knock stopped her. She hesitated.

_Greer can rot in hell as far as I am concerned, _she thought, acid dripping from her mental image.

Angrily, she twisted the knob and flung open the door and found her way out was blocked.

There, standing in the door was a young man, taller than she was by several inches with wavy dark hair with just a hit of sandy tan in it. His eyes were liquid hazel, soft and intelligent. He was dressed similarly to her in field clothes, second hand jeans, scuffed boots, and a faded blue t-shirt. His light skin was also covered in fine dust. He had a backpack on that had seen better days. He saw Sarah and his jaw went slack.

"Dr. Harding…Sarah Harding…Um, Hello!" he stuck his hand out to which Sarah let it slide, not taking it but looking at him warily.

"Do I know you?"

The man quickly recovered, his stubbled cheeks flushing. He was young, probably ten years her junior. She pegged him for a graduate student. Archaeology or given the circumstances probably a paleontology major.

"No, uh, no you don't. Not yet. Brennan. Dr. Billy Brennan." He introduced him, patting his shirt to clear some of the dust off, only making the situation worse.

_Brennan. That was familiar …where from…._

Aha. She found it.

"You're Alan Grant's student."

"Former, student. I graduated a few years back."

"Your thesis on raptor intelligence was well written. I enjoyed it. Needed some polishing on raptor pack dynamics. The language hypothesis was good."

Brennan flushed again. "Thank you. I'm sorry for being like this but you were one of my idols in schools. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Greer cleared his throat from behind them.

"Come in Billy, come in. I was expecting you and Mrs. Harding was about to leave. Pity. I could have used both of you."

Sarah stepped aside, letting Billy enter and was half way out the door when Greer asked her a question.

"Which formation is it, Mrs. Harding?"

She didn't look back at him but stopped anyway caught off guard by the odd question.

"Excuse me?"

"What formation is the dig you are working at with your ground breaking work?"

She sighed in annoyance. "Hell Creek. It's the biggest formation in Montana."

"Ah. It's a pity that there won't be any funding left at the end of the season to continue the work."

Sarah turned on him, pinning him with angry green eyes, not bothering to hide it anymore.

"What the hell are you talking about? There is enough funding to last two more seasons. "

"Well, you see, the Hell Creek formation is funded by university grants and I own the biggest contributor through various corporate shells. As the current crisis that InGen is in dictates my budget, I am considering redirecting those funds elsewhere. After all in times such as these, one must prioritize."

Sensing the intent behind it, Sarah's eyes narrowed dangerously. If the funding were cut to the dig, nearly every single project going on would shut down and all the work and fossils lost. All the progress gone in a single stroke. She hated Greer. Nothing would change that now. He was a slimy bastard, a snake in the grass that just played its hand.

"What do you want?" she snarled, her voice low.

"I want you and Mr. Brennan to take advantage of an opportunity, the opportunity of a life time. To save InGen, we must reopen Jurassic Park. We don't want to make the mistakes we did before. The US government and the UN are inclined to destroy Site B but we know we can bring the park back. To do that, we need a team to study the animals in their native environment for a period of no less than five years. If we succeed, then we can reopen the park with your advice and guidance. If not, then Site B and every animal on it will be destroyed, just like Nublar was."

"You want us to risk our lives to study those animals and save your wallet?" Sarah snapped.

"Yes. I do. Of course any research you do will be publishable under your own names. I do believe both of your careers could use a boost and I can't think of a better way to prove your theories about tyrannosaur rearing" Greer glared at Harding and then glanced at Billy, "… or raptor intelligence, can you?"

"There isn't any infrastructure on Site B anymore. No shelter, no computer network, nothing. We have no way to do anything beyond old fashioned pen and paper and eyeballing." Sarah reminded him, crossing her arms across her chest.

Billy spoke up. "Look, I'm flattered that you're asking us but we've both been on Isla Sorna…just in different parts. Sarah's right. There's no—"

"Oh please. Do you think I would send you in with nothing? I've had a team on the ground on Isla Sorna for the last six months working on rebuilding some of that infrastructure. I've also already supplied the island with all the equipment you could need and provided stable contact with the mainland. You'd be surprised how far along they have come. After all, if we reopen Jurassic Park we are going to need Isla Sorna, aren't we?" Greer said, turning his back on them and walking over to the counter next to the desk in front of a frosted window. He reached out and took a crystal tumbler from the set before him, filled it with iced scotch and took a drink, savoring the burning liquid, knowing his battle was already won.

"Dr. Harding, I want you to lead this team with Dr. Brennan. Who better to lead than two people who have been on the island? I'm sure your experiences won't color your spirit."

_Eddie Carr, the rain…the Ground Tracker SUV….its engine revving in the inches deep mud as rain pounded, thunder snarling…Eddie desperately trying to winch the Mobile Command Center back over the cliff….the monstrous gigantic shapes of the as they came back out of the forest after safely securing their baby….the big red-brown female..the somewhat smaller green male…fangs flashed…roars and screams mixed...Eddie still trying to save them even as the male rex bit into his torso, lifting him high, throwing him…the snapping and tearing crunch of his spine being pulled into, each rex grabbing a half of his body…the blood mixing with the mud, making thick maroon soup…_

Sarah let the memory fade as her heart rate slowed back to normal.

"You have no idea what it was like."

"No, I don't and I don't expect I ever will. But I know you can be the one to do this…if not for me, do it for the animals. It's the chance of a lifetime, Dr. Harding…Dr. Brennan…Make your mark. "

"What about the dig?" Sarah asked.

"I will ensure it stays funded and that your research team in Montana does not go without anything. They ask, and they shall receive."

Deal with the devil. She had no choice. On the other hand, she was curious. The first time she had been on Isla Sorna she had such little time to actually study any of the animals…she looked at Billy.

What had he seen while there? What had he been through?

"When do we leave?"

"Today. Four hours from now. A chartered military chopper will lift off from here."

Sarah and Billy turned to go, Sarah fuming, Billy, not quite sure what to make of the situation but definitely not fully trusting Greer. As they left the study, Greer called out.

"Dr. Harding, one more thing."

She said nothing but stared at him her pulse racing, her eyes stern and hard.

"Don't be late."

Greer smiled.


End file.
